Santa Ana Candidates Receive Anti-Labor and MAGA Support, Police Association Contributions Ensure Loyalty
Valerie Amezcua, Mario Alvarado, Jeffrey Katz and Julie Tran have all received support from conservative groups while the police association moves to consolidate power on the council.
Valerie Amezcua, the incumbent mayoral candidate, has newfound support in her re-election bid: McDonald’s franchises. The California Alliance of Family Owned Businesses (CAFOB), created and funded by McDonald’s franchise owners, has spent over $61,000 through their Orange County PAC in support of Amezcua’s re-election bid.
CAFOB opposed the minimum wage increase for fast food workers that went into effect April 1. The anti-labor group framed the $20 minimum wage standard as being "singled-out…with wage and regulatory requirements”, according to their statement. In February, CAFOB spent over $600,000 in separate ads targeting the author of the bill and a supporter of the bill.
Amezcua is endorsed by the Orange County Labor Federation (OCLF) and the Service Employees International Union Local 721 (SEIU). SEIU is partnered with the California Fast Food Workers Union and supported the minimum wage increase.
The $61,000 spent by CAFOB in support of Amezcua is an independent expenditure, a type of political spending that cannot be done in coordination with a campaign. It is unclear why a statewide, anti-labor PAC would support a candidate that is endorsed by the OCLF or SEIU. The contributions by McDonald’s franchise owners that fund the PAC can be viewed here.
Amezcua and the OCLF did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Santa Ana Police Officers Association Pays to Play
The Santa Ana Police Officers Association (SAPOA) has spent over $130,000 in support of candidates Valerie Amezcua and Mario Alvarado, according to filings reviewed by Inadvertent. Direct campaign donations to Amezcua, Alvarado and Jeffrey Katz have also been given.
When asked what the contributions mean for a candidate, a source with institutional knowledge of the SAPOA stated, “The supported elected official will be one of a minimum of 4 votes in favor of financial gain to rank the police union at or near the top of pay and benefits comparable to other police agencies…[t]he police union has consideration in hiring and appointing the city manager, city attorney, chief of police, personnel board, police oversight, and planning commissions.”
Last October, Amezcua’s loyalty to the SAPOA cost the City of Santa Ana $600,000 in a hush money settlement related to the ousting of then-City Manager Kristine Ridge and former-police Chief David Valentin. The ousting effort appeared to be a political favor for the SAPOA, according to public records. The legal claim submitted by Ridge, which sparked the settlement discussions, was kept secret for half a year and only released after pressure and legal threats by Knock LA.
The settlement sparked an investigation by a city-hired law firm. At a recent council meeting, the city attorney stated that the preponderance of the evidence did not support the claims against Amezcua. The city has refused to answer questions regarding the investigation and it is unclear who was interviewed and how that affected the outcome. However, Councilmember Phil Bacerra confirmed via a statement in response to another council member’s assertions that Ridge, the original claimant, was not interviewed. A pending public records request by Inadvertent has asked for all investigative reports to be released.
“[t]he police union has consideration in hiring and appointing the city manager, city attorney, chief of police, personnel board, police oversight, and planning commissions.”
About two weeks after receiving the legal claim, Amezcua stated during a council meeting that she was “proud” to receive the POA’s money. About a month after that, the SAPOA’s recall effort was decertified by the county’s top election official. Amezcua and other SAPOA-loyal council members then supported disenfranchising over a thousand voters by allowing the decertified election to happen. On election night, SAPOA President John Kachirisky, Amezcua, Bacerra, Alvarado, Tim Rush, Ernesto Conde, Matthew Cunningham, Pasquale Talarico, Jose Ugarte and canvassers gathered at the SAPOA offices.
Shortly after 9PM that evening, while standing between Kachirisky and Bacerra, Amezcua told the canvassers, in Spanish, “I just want to tell everyone thank you for all of the work that you have done for us…”
She made no distinction between herself, Kachirisky or Bacerra. Bacerra is a SAPOA-loyal council member.
The hush money settlement agreement and the recall effort was just within the span of a month.
After spending over $371,000 on their failed recall effort, the SAPOA turned on their longtime consultant, Ernesto Conde and sued him early this year in a contract dispute.
Since then, the SAPOA has refused to pay for labor it hired for the recall. Then, after 7 months of that labor theft dispute, the SAPOA was sued by the consulting company hired to provide the canvassing.
In August, allegations revealed by Inadvertent show that the SAPOA, to avoid jeopardizing then-ongoing contract negotiations with the city of Santa Ana, appears to have suppressed incidents of “serious misconduct” allegedly committed by Kachirisky. The SAPOA executive board stated that the allegations were investigated and not substantiated, yet no proof of an investigation was provided. The city also refused to answer questions about these allegations, despite Kachirisky ongoing employment with the Santa Ana Police Department.
Most recently, Kachirisky, whose association members are entrusted with public safety duties by city, wore a hat to the Trump National Golf Course that said “Strap City” on top of Santa Ana’s official logo.
Kachirisky did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
Making Santa Ana Great Again
Campaign and committee filings also show payments to right wing groups such as “Continuing the Republican Revolution” (CRR) and "The Lincoln Club OC”. Valerie Amezcua, Mario Alvarado, Julie Tran, Jeffrey Katz have all paid CRR for slate mailers. Slate mailers target specific voters to gain support for certain ballot measures or candidates. Scott Hart, operator of CRR, broke state campaign laws in 2006, according to a letter sent to him by the Fair Political Practices Commission. At this time, it is unknown what message CRR sent out on behalf of those candidates.
More recently, The Lincoln Club of Orange County, contributed $1,000 to Jeffrey Katz, a ward 3 candidate. This right-wing political organization is a pro-forced labor, pro-MAGA group that regularly donates to the Republican Party of Orange County.
Katz, Alvarado and Tran did not respond to requests for comment.
Special interest has long been a topic of contention in Santa Ana elections. Whether campaign funding has influence over policy decisions on city council— the answer varies depending on who you ask.
However, the public can see who benefits when decisions are made, and determine which elected officials are using their power for the people and which are wielding power over the people.
Disappointed but not surprised!